I think without the knee injuries he could've been the GOAT. He was just never that same beast after the first major injury playing for Inter. He was still world class, just not at Zidane's level after the turn of the century I thought. Up till about '99 he was the better of the 2.

2002 Ronaldo was still unbelievable....Won the world cup with an amazing brazil side but he just couldn't stop scoring

I remember going into the 2006 world cup all the talk was about the new superstars of world football such as Ronaldinho and Kaka, Zizou was supposed to be the old has been and Ronaldinho and co were gonna be the stars of the show yet the footballing lesson Zizou gave to that Brazillian team in the QF(iirc) which included them superstars was one of the most magical performances i've ever seen on a football pitch. Toying with the likes of Kaka, Ronaldinho and Robinho just to mention a few at an age when he was written off by the footballing world just showed how great Zidane really was and how far ahead he was of legendary players in their own right such as Ronaldinho and Kaka.

By no means do i say this as a slight meant on players like Ronaldinho who will always remain one of my most favourite players of all time but more to highlight just how great of a player Zidane was.

Whilst i think Messi is the GOAT, Zizou will always remain my favourite player of all time, with El Fenomeno in second place.

I remember as a kid EVERYONE knew the name Ronaldo. In school it was always everyone arguing over who got to be Ronaldo on the playground. Even people around me at the time who weren't even the slightest bit interested in or know a thing about football knew about Ronaldo.

Couldn't have put it any better myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Money_May

I loved zidane so elegant. Fat ronaldo had the potential to be the GOAT but injuries scuppered that. How anyone can put ronaldinho ahead of CR, messi and zidane is absurd.

I have a bias for CR he instantly became my fav united player on his debut.

Out of All of those names I would take zizou!! Anyone remember the volley against Leverkusen? I was stunned silent for 10mins

Unbelievable tekkers

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHADYV1

Ronaldinho in his prime was better than both of them. So no...

It's hard for me to put 'dinho in there because his limited time at the top and because he didn't do it in a World Cup but for those two/three years at Barca...he was unreal.

2002 Ronaldo was still unbelievable....Won the world cup with an amazing brazil side but he just couldn't stop scoring

He was brilliant no doubt about it, best world cup goalscorer of all time. When you talk about players for the big occasion it's him and Zidane that you immediately think about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by P4P_No1

It's hard for me to put 'dinho in there because his limited time at the top and because he didn't do it in a World Cup but for those two/three years at Barca...he was unreal.

He was quality in '02 but the brilliance of Ronaldo/Rivaldo is what overshadowed him. His defining moment in international football was lobbing Seaman, which doesn't really say a lot for him I suppose.

Looking back to see how this thread has developed and I gotta say, I can't fathom putting Ronaldo in Messi's class. When you mention GOAT's, I think of Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Cruyff, Di Stefano, Fat Ronaldo et al. and when it's all said and done, Messi will be in the class. Ronaldo won't he'll be a step class below and that's not dissing him at all

Looking back to see how this thread has developed and I gotta say, I can't fathom putting Ronaldo in Messi's class. When you mention GOAT's, I think of Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Cruyff, Di Stefano, Fat Ronaldo et al. and when it's all said and done, Messi will be in the class. Ronaldo won't he'll be a step class below and that's not dissing him at all

Sorry you can certainly put Ronaldo in Messi's class, 1. Hes done it in the other top league in the world, 2nd Ronaldo has brought Portugal to the semi-finals of both Euro's and World cup, what the hell has Messi done for Argentina with a star studded team 10x the quality of Portugal with much easier competition in the South America cup

Sorry you can certainly put Ronaldo in Messi's class, 1. Hes done it in the other top league in the world, 2nd Ronaldo has brought Portugal to the semi-finals of both Euro's and World cup, what the hell has Messi done for Argentina with a star studded team 10x the quality of Portugal with much easier competition in the South America cup

Don't forget he was a big player in helping Portugal get to the Euro 2004 final.

For me i dont think its a coincidence that Xavi and Iniesta play for both of the most dominant teams of this generation, Spain and Barca.

They make the tic a taka style work, and are the engine room of both teams. Messi (as unbelievable as he is at times) would not break records without these two.

I think people are being harsh on Ronaldinho, if i remember rightly he went to Barca when they werent that great (Liverpool played them in the Uefa cup if i remember) and dragged them back up to prominence. By most accounts his first season there was unbelievably good and he carried on for many seasons after. Messi on the other hand has always been in very good teams that suite his style. He might not have ever matched the stats of CR7 and Messi, but he made up for it in flair and technical brilliance.

Back to GOAT discussion. Zidane wins it for me, for achievements at club and world level. Surprised no one has mentioned Pele yet though (i cant properly comment because i wasnt around) but his 3 world cup winners medals and his 589 gls in 605 games for Santos (back when Brazils league was pretty good) is crazy impressive.